By The TimesLedger
There are more than a few people in Queens, and especially in College Point, who probably feel a little like suckers this week. When they heard that thieves had stolen a motorized wheelchair from a disabled Vietnam War vet, these good-hearted souls moved into high gear.
St. John’s Lutheran Church took up a collection and ordinary citizens offered what they could. One company loaned the alleged victim a chair until the New York Ambulette Association donated an expensive new chair. And then the news came Friday that the story of the robbery was a hoax.
Police say James Daly, 52, took the city for a ride. They contend Daly orchestrated a hoax for his own personal gain, that he faked the attack and sold the wheelchair. The police have a video from a surveillance camera used to catch graffiti vandals, which shows Daly being taken from a van and gently lowered to the sidewalk by the driver. They traced the license plate and the owner of the vehicle admitted that the wheelchair was delivered to a home in the Bronx at Daly’s request, the district attorney said.
Daly has been arrested and charged with filing a false report. The association is demanding that Daly return the new wheelchair. But a spokesman for the association had no regrets about rushing to the aid of what they thought was a crime victim. “We're trying not to take a cynical view,” said Wayne Soifer. “Our heart was in the right place.”
Yes, indeed. And so were the hearts of many people who do not know Daly but were outraged at his imaginary attackers and filled with compassion for this imaginary victim. Among the first to be duped was omnipresent city council candidate Tony Avella. Bully for Avella and bully for all the people who were not afraid to take a chance.
We are reminded of a story told by a man who was escorting a friend visiting from out of town through Times Square. A vagrant approached the pair and claimed that he had not eaten in two days. Without hesitation, the visitor handed a few dollars to the disheveled beggar.
“Aren’t you afraid that he's a phony? Chances are he’ll spend that money on booze or drugs. You can’t afford to waste your hard-earned dollars on a person like that.”
The visitor replied, “You’re right, I don’t have much money. But I can’t afford to take the chance that this man might truly be hungry.”
Whatever his motive for spinning his tale, Mr. Daly has struck a blow for cynicism. Still, we trust that the spirit of compassion and charity will triumph over the spirit of greed. We trust that the people who were duped this time will not hesitate to give again when a real victim comes along. If they have been suckers, they should be proud of it.
Democracy? It could happen
Don’t tell Queens Democratic Party boss Tom Manton, but it looks like, despite his best efforts to the contrary, democracy is about to break out in New York. Thanks to term limits, the race is on for every city council seat in Queens. For better and worse, no Council member currently representing this borough is returning.
One hundred candidates filed for City Council races in Queens before the June 1 deadline, qualifying themselves for campaign matching funds. No other borough has more candidates. Although they represent a range of political parties, it now appears that there will be a Democratic Party primary in every district.
That’s bad news for the party bosses. They prefer to control each election by handpicking the Democrat candidate. This time, or so we hope, the voters will make the choice. This is a giant step toward democracy in Queens.
